JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Four Spartans competed Thursday in first-day action of the NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary Round at Hodges Stadium on the campus of North Florida. None of the four who competed were able to advance to the next round.

In the first of his two individual events on the weekend, junior Keith Nkrumah placed sixth in his heat of the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 54.03 seconds. That was good for 37th out of the 44 completitors in the field. Fellow junior Vincent Brown, making his first regional appearance in the 800 meters, placed eighth in his heat in 1 minute, 53.08 seconds, good for 44th overall.

Nkrumah will participate Friday in the 110 meter hurdles first round. He and Brown will also comprise half of NSU's 4x400 meter relay team on Saturday.

Long jumpers Rashad Cannon and Champagne Bell saw their seasons come to an end Thursday. Cannon was 29th out of 48 competitors in the men's long jump, with a best distance of 23 feet, 4.5 inches. Bell was 38th on the women's side with a top effort of 18-9.75.

Nkrumah, fellow hurdler Aramis Massenburg and 200 meter runner James Taylor will all run on Thursday. For more information, visit www.unfospreys.com.